Jordie Benn (Photo credit to Melissa Grissom)

The Texas Stars are currently riding a two game losing streak after falling to the Oklahoma City Barons and Grand Rapids Griffins. After a decent start to their season, Texas now holds a record of 3-5-0.

On Friday the Stars welcome the Toronto Marlies to Cedar Park Center. The Marlies have also got off to a tough start in their 2012/13 campaign, as they occupy an identical record to that of the Stars.

A positive part of the Stars first eight games has been Cody Eakin, the young Canadian Forward, who was acquired by the Dallas Stars from the Washington Capitals in the recent off-season. He has really looked the part so far, showing high levels of skill leading to seven points in his first eight games.

Jordie Benn has also started his season well. He has been a big force on the defensive unit as well adding some offensive points going forward. He has three points so far, and a +/- rating of 1.

It has been a team effort so far for the Marlies, as six players have scored four or more points already. Keith Aucoin, the American center, leads the Marlies in points with six and it is crucial that the Stars shut him down on Friday.

The Marlies are also riding a two game losing streak, meaning both teams will be eager for victory on Friday. This will make it a tense and exciting encounter.

Be sure to get along to Cedar Park on Friday, as it is Stars and Stripes military appreciation weekend. Face off is 7.30pm.

Mike Modano (Photo credit to: Dinur Blum/Flickr)

Yesterday, Mike Modano along with Lou Lamoriello and Eddie Olczyk were inductee into the 2012 US Hockey Hall of Fame Induction. Matthew Day, a Hockey fan & Dallas Stars Season Ticket holder since 1996 to right now, well whenever the Dallas Stars start their season decided to write about the USA hockey hall of fame and we were honored that he wrote this for our site, Keep Dallas Pesky.

 The 40th Annual US Hockey Hall of Fame Induction ceremony could have easily been tarnished by other events in the world of hockey. However, despite the turmoil of the NHL labor disputes a so called “non traditional hockey town”, deep in the heart of football country, was given a chance to be a hockey oasis or perhaps a reminder of what makes this game “the coolest game on Earth.”

Master of ceremonies Steve Levy mentioned the NHL lock out, but was quick to remind us that we were not here for that. What were we here for then? Tonight we honored 5 men for their contributions to the game of hockey in the United States. 3 of those men were inducted in to the US Hockey Hall of Fame.

» Continue reading “Mike Modano Inducted Into USA Hockey Hall of Fame”

Texas Stars victory (Photo credit to Stephanie Robinson)

The Texas Stars recorded a victory to start their 2012/13 AHL campaign last night against the San Antonio Rampage at the AT&T center.

Stars captain Maxime Fortunus got the first goal of the game with just under five minutes gone in the first period. He received a pass from Cody Eakin and impressively blasted a slap shot past Grumet-Morris in the Rampage net. Eakin looked good after being acquired from the Washington Capitals in the recent off-season.

The first period was quite a close one but the Stars managed to take a two-goal lead into the dressing rooms as veteran Toby Peterson fired one home from the slot. Jordie Benn grabbed the assist.

San Antonio were on the back foot for much of the second frame, as they were out shot by 12 to 5. The Stars were looking a decent outfit and almost scored several times on the power play. Both teams had plenty of power play chances, with a massive 47 penalty minutes racked up on the night.

Going into the third the Stars would have been desperate to keep hold of their two-goal lead and record an opening night win on the road.  After a solid final frame it seemed certain that Nilstorp was going to record a shutout. However, with a minute left in the game, Drew Shore managed to scramble one home and set up a tense finale. Luckily the Stars managed to hold out and get a big win away from home to start their campaign.

The boys are back in action tonight as they take on the Charlotte Checkers. The Checkers also opened their season with a win, so it should be a good contest tonight at Cedar Park. Face off is at 7pm.

(Photo taken by Melissa Grissom)

There was a lot of activity in Dallas during the free agency period. Several players departed Dallas to enjoy their careers elsewhere, but a few players headed to Dallas to pull on a Stars jersey.

GM  Joe Nieuwendyk surprised a lot of Dallas Stars fans as well as a lot of fans across the NHL in early July. He managed to work some magic and bring Czech legend Jaromir Jagr to Texas. The deal was announced on July 3^rd 2012, and was worth a reported $4.5million.

I am really hoping that a deal is made and the lockout won’t occur. Jagr is on a one-year deal and the 2012/13 could be the only chance to see him in a Stars shirt. He will also be massive to the hopeful success on the ice. I expect him to form a formidable first line alongside Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson. Jagr is superb at puck distribution, and if Jamie and Loui can get themselves in the right positions, we could see a lot of goals from this line. Jagr has a massive 988 assists in the NHL, he will certainly develop the game of his peers.

Another big addition for the Stars was center man Derek Roy. He was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade involving Steve Ott and Adam Pardy. It is as simple as this: Roy was acquired to be a top 6 forward and replace Mike Ribeiro who departed to the Washington Capitals.

The Ottawa native will bring a lot to Dallas. With over 500 games to his name, the 29-year-old brings a lot of experience, and also has the ability to be a relatively big points scorer, scoring 60+ points on 4 occasions.

Another asset of his game is the crucial one for me, and this is his ability to perform on the power play. The Stars’ power play was average at best last season. It lacked structure and rhythm, managing to score just 33 goals throughout the season. I am hoping that this is an area of the game that they will be working hard on in training camp. Roy will be an integral part of this, and if the power play can get going, the team will benefit with positive results.

The third big addition was of Ray Whitney from the Phoenix Coyotes. He is another experienced player and a points scorer as well. This is a great addition for Dallas. He has well over 1000 appearances in the NHL and over 1000 points. He is getting on a bit, aged 40, but he is still a great hockey player.

I think that Whitney will help form the second line alongside Michael Ryder and Derek Roy. These guys might take a bit of time to gel, but if they get going I think they will bring the best out of each other. The Stars lacked depth last season, and a lot of scoring was done by the first line. 2012/13 will be different, the second line will take a lot of pressure off of the first line, and should benefit the team as a whole.

With other new recruits including Cody Eakin and Aaron Rome, and some promising draft picks, the Stars are starting to look like a decent outfit for next season!

Derek Roy (Photo: Bridget Samuels/Flickr)

Center/#11

May 4, 1983 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

5’9″/184

GP: 80

G: 17

A: 27

P: 44

+/- :  -7

Contract Status: 1 year deal for $4 million

On July 2nd, the day after the free agency frenzy, the Dallas Stars traded fan favorite Steve Ott and defensemen Adam Pardy for center Derek Roy, who will take the spot of departed center, Mike Ribeiro who was traded to the Washington Capitals. A few weeks later after the trade, the Stars learned that Roy needed surgery for a posterior labrum on his shoulder and he will be out until November. The situation with trading Roy for Ott showed confidence of the front office and a risky trade but maybe after Roy comes back from surgery, he will prove to the NHL that he can be that second line center, the Stars have been looking for. Derek Roy did tell the media that he was willing to play with the shoulder injury but the Stars didn’t want to take a risk with him, making the injury worse. Here’s more on Roy talking about the shoulder injury via from Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News:

Roy will likely be out until late November after he had surgery to tighten up a loose shoulder he had been playing through since last season. Roy had a very difficult season injury-wise, and he spoke with John Vogel of the Buffalo News in April as the Sabres were cleaning out their lockers. Here was his quote:

“Doc said it was going to take two years to get back to 100 percent. I had a tough stretch. I missed the exhibition games when I got injured (shoulder), and I got injured in July working out (a hamstring injury before last season), as well. Nobody knew about that one, but I took maybe a month off this summer. I pulled my hamstring in the summertime. That was tough working out. I took some time off and had to come in and do therapy every day on it. That was a tough stretch, then training camp came around and I got injured again (with the shoulder). Usually, I’m not injury prone at all, and it was tough to start the season off with those two injuries. I had a hard time going, and it’s still bothering me now to this day with both injuries. I’m going to take a month off and do absolutely nothing and try to rest and get back into shape and get ready for the season.”

» Continue reading “Player Profile: Derek Roy”

New Dallas Star Cody Eakin (Photo: Bridget Samuel/Flickr)

Center

May 21, 1991 in Winnipeg, Manitoba

6’0”/190

GP: 30

G: 4

A:4

Pts: 8

+/-: 2

Contract Status: 2 years at $550,000

During the 2012 NHL entry draft, the Dallas Stars and the Washington Capitals made a trade as the Stars traded center Mike Ribeiro to the Capitals for center Cody Eakin and 2nd round pick of this years draft. General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk did his research when he traded for Eakins and this is what he had to say about him from the Dallas Stars Website:

“He’s the type of player that does anything to help the team win. His work ethic will be there,” said Nieuwendyk. “He’s a very versatile player; he plays with a lot of energy and a lot of passion. I don’t like to get too caught up in the second- and third-line stuff, but he is a player who can help us.”

While Nieuwendyk thinks Eakin is ready for the NHL, the young center isn’t taking anything for granted. The 6-0, 190 pound Winnipeg native said he’s wants to prove he deserves a spot on the Stars roster this coming season.

“I think every season, over the summer, that’s what you want to try to do,” Eakin said. “In my situation last season, I didn’t get a whole ton of time, but I did get some good time. I want to get stronger and faster and hopefully earn a spot when the time comes.”

I am excited to see what Eakin brings to the team next year. I hope he brings us what the Stars need. Eakin is also versatile as he can play both wing and center. He had 239 goals in the juniors while playing for Swift Current (the same team that hockey hall of fame nominee Joe Sakic played for). He is very familiar with Ryan Garbutt and Scott Glennie. In the same article Eakin said that the transition from playing with the Capitals to joining his new team will be easier

“Scott Glennie and Ryan Garbutt, we’re good buddies and we all train together,” said Eakin. “They speak very highly of the organization. That makes the transition easier. They’ve got me pretty excited.” (Source: Dallas Stars Website)

Eakin is excited to play for the Stars. He will fit very well into an organization like the Stars who are going towards being a younger energetic team. But for right now during the off season, check out this video from his days with the Capitals on youtube:

Also this video from NHLPA on Cody Eakin:

Also if you have twitter like I do, give him a follow at @codyeakin50

Welcome to Dallas, Cody Eakins (Photo taken by Bridget Samuels/Flickr)

The first shock of the 2012 NHL entry draft involved the Dallas Stars. The news just broke that Mike Ribeiro is off to Washington, with the Stars receiving center Cody Eakin and a second round pick in return.

Ribeiro played seven seasons of hockey in Texas, and recorded 50+ points in all seven campaigns. As well as the experience he offers, Ribeiro also plays the game of hockey with a lot of flare. He loves to showcase his skills on the ice and a lot of his goals arise from some slick stick handling.

Mike struggled to find rhythm last season, but being an integral part of the Stars franchise since he arrived, he will be missed. Cody Eakin arrives in Dallas as a potential replacement for Ribeiro. He spent the majority of last season playing with Washington’s AHL affiliate team, the Hershey Bears. He was recalled and represented the Capitals on 30 occasions in the 2011-12 campaign and recorded 8 points.

Eakin also had a very successful time playing for Canada at the World Hockey Championships. In a few years time once he has developed his game both tactically and physically, I think Eakin could be a good addition to the Stars roster.

So, what does this mean for the Stars? They now have quite a few picks in the 2012 draft to bring in some young players. However, the fact that they perhaps have a few more picks than they would like, I think a big trade is about to happen to bring a top 6 forward to Texas.

The Stars have been in need of a big scoring forward since Brad Richards departed to New York. Making sure Jamie Benn signs a new contract has to be the first priority for GM Joe, but bringing in a big forward is also high up on the list.

I think I speak on behalf of every Stars fan in thanking Mike Ribeiro for his successful career in Dallas and wishing him the best of luck as he starts a new journey in Washington DC.